Electrical device



Oct. 16, 1934. BUSCHMAN 1,976,771

ELECTRICAL DEVICE Filed March 2; 1951 INVENTOR.

% ATTORNEYS.

Patented Oct. 16, 1934 PATENT OFFICE ELECTRICAL DEVICE Abraham L.Buschman, New York, N. Y.

Application March 2, 1931, Serial No. 519,393

1 Claim.

This invention relates to electrical devices and is particularlydirected to wired electrical attachment members such as lamp socketsconnected together by conductor cables and to the methods of making thesame.

An object of this invention is to provide in a device of the characterdescribed, including wire ends soldered or otherwise attached to theterminals of the device, highly improved, simple, easily applied andcomparatively inexpensive means for relieving strain on the soldered orother connection, and further to provide a simple, inexpensive methodfor making and applying said means.

A further object of this invention is to provide strong, compact anddurable construction of the character described, which shall beinexpensive to manufacture, and practical and efficient to a highdegree.

Other objects of this invention will in part be obvious and in parthereinafter pointed out.

The invention accordingly consists in the features of construction,combinations of elements, and arrangement of parts which will beexemplified in the construction hereinafter described,

and of which the scope of application will be indicated in the followingclaim.

In the accompanying drawing, in which is shown one of the variouspossible illustrative embodirnents of this invention,

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a lamp socket and lamp wired for seriescircuit, and embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken on line 2 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 3 is an axial, cross-sectional View of the structure shown in Fig.1.

Referring now in detail to the drawing, 10 designates an electricalattachment member, here shown in the form of an ordinary electric lampsocket of the type used for Christmas tree lighting outfits, and 11designates a lamp attached to the socket. In making Christmas treelighting outfits, a number of sockets are usually connected in seriescircuit by a single conductor cable. For connecting the socket'lO in aseries circuit, there is shown a conductor cable 13, comprising wire 13acovered by the usual rubber insulation 14 and fabric coating 15. The end16 of the wire 13a may be soldered to the central contact 1'7 of the 0screw shell 18 fixed within the socket 10. An-

other conductor cable 19 likewise comprising wire 19a covered by arubber insulating sleeve 20, and fabric or woven coating 21, is providedwith an end portion 22 soldered as at 23 to the shell 18.

In use, the Christmas tree lighting outfits, which usually consist of astring of eight lamps, are stretched out, causing tension on theconductor cables 13, 19, and often resulting in breaking the solderedconnections and short circuiting the lamps. To obviate this difficulty,in accordance with my invention, there is provided a preferably flexiblesleeve 25 preferably made of an elongated string, twine or cord 26 woundabout the conductor cables 13, 19, for any suitable length to form aflexible sleeve, preferably disposed adjacent the socket 10. Afterwinding the cord 26 to form the sleeve, the same may be stitchedlongitudinally, as at 27, to prevent unravelling of the cord. In windingthe cord 26, the convolutions are preferably side by side to form asubstantially helical sleeve. The cord is preferably wound relativelytight to prevent accidental shifting of the sleeve 25. The sleevepreferably contacts the undersurface 29 of the socket housing.

It will now be seen that a pull on the conductor cables in oppositedirections will be taken up by the sleeve 25 which will thus act as astrain relief means. Obviously, the sleeve 25 may be made of anysuitable material, it being a dominant feature of the invention to tiethe conductor cables together adjacent the socket by a. member adaptedto take up the tension or pull on the conductor cables.

It will thus be seen that there is provided a device in which theseveral objects of this invention are achieved, and which is welladapted to meet the conditions of practical use.

As various possible embodiments might be made of the above invention,and as various changes might be made in the embodiment above set forth,it is to be understood that all matter herein set forth or shown in theaccompanying drawing is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in alimiting sense.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent:

In a Christmas tree lighting outfit, in combination with an electricalattachment member having a plurality of spaced terminals therein, aplurality of insulated conductor wires extending into said attachmentmember and having ends attached to said terminals, and means forclamping said insulated wires together outside of said attachment memberfor relieving strain on the terminal connections when said conductorwires are pulled in opposite directions, said means comprising a sleevecomprising a wound string disposed about said insulated wires, and saidinsulated wires being separate on the outside of said member and adaptedto extend in different directions beyond said sleeve, the convolutionsof said string being stitched together.

